TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[The End Is Neigh (S.T.D OST)]

I'm really impressed with the versatility of your style these days. I love the distorted ambiance, gritty guitars, and tense energy of this one. The melody at :58 threw me off a tad, but I'm sure it fits well within the context of the game. The production quality is great, and the cinematic flair of the breakdown at 1:30 was a nice touch. Really high-emotion and evocative piece, man! My one complaint is the choppy arrangement, but otherwise you nailed it. ^_^

[~SW~ The Yearning]

I like the atmospheric effects at the beginning and the warm pads at :10. The bright piano and click-heavy beat have really cutesy vibes. Naturally with you, the production is top-notch, and the piece has a good balance of energy from the rhythm section and warmth/languidness from the atmosphere. The middle section felt well-balanced between the prominent bass and melodic synth on top. I've always admired how you shape your transitions - they're conspicuous, but smooth and forgiving, like an overripe avocado thrown at a wall of sound. Great stuff, Skye! This piece is dreamy, upbeat, and warm, but also really catchy and engaging. Cheers! ^_^

SkyeWint responds:

Suuuuuuper proud of this track. I really want to make more DnB like it, especially if I can start messing around more with bass modulation. Especially feel proud because I synthesized everything from scratch (aside from the drums and *one* instrument, but eh) and feel like I'm finally getting a handle on making solid melodies, haha. It's only been, what. 11 years?

[Driftless]

Wow, I didn't know you made electronic stuff! I like the bright piano riff at the beginning and the gradual fade-in of the synths. The beat at :47 is catchy, if a tad minimal. I think the mixing and mastering is pretty strong, though, although it sounds a tad strained at the end when the strings are layered on top of the synths. The arrangement of the piece was a tad generic, but the strings at 2:10 really inject some new life into the piece IMO. Overall, strong work here, Papkee! The rhythmic elements, flow, and sound design are probably my favorite elements of the piece. Cheers! ^_^

[RiLo-Fi]

I think the excited children in the background makes for a really evocative background for the piece. I'm envisioning someone who brought a guitar to the beach, and someone taps along to the beat using a stick and some nearby rocks. The piece has a really nice flow to it by the time the melody comes in at 1:03. I really like the airy outro too. Strong work, Skye! You set the scene really nicely here. ^_^

SkyeWint responds:

Yo, TL! Thanks!
God, I need to do more. Thought I'd be getting back into working on music, and then the final chunk of the uni term hit... On the plus side, still gathering plenty of academic resources for other purposes, at least. And no shortage of ideas or even motivation! Just shortage of time. :)

[REBIRTH: On Crystal Wings]

Wow. Much more electronic than I'm used to hearing from you. I like the bouncy synths and arpeggiated patterns at the beginning. Of course, the orchestral elements seep in after a while, but the electronic harmonies seem to underpin the piece to a large extent. I like the percussion at 1:10 and the dense rhythm in the background at 1:45ish. The cutesy synth at 1:55 kinda sounds like Yoshi's voice. :D The rhythm at 2:35 between the melodies and percussion is really interesting - even clashing a bit. The minimal conga pattern at 2:52 seemed a bit dry, but it flows nicely into the atmospheric synth patterns thereafter. The syncopations later on are really neat, too - I especially like the heavy hats that pop in at around 4:30. The tune also takes on a more blissful tone towards the end, and I like how you brought back the orchestral instruments for the coda. I'd imagine that helps this piece flow nicely into the rest of the album, and I'll look forward to verifying that on August 2nd. Cheers, Syamori! ^_^

[Beware - AIM]

I like the cutesy and mischievous-sounding melodies at the beginning. The crisp beats and atmospheric flair to this mesh very well together. The vocals are full of whimsy and personality, and the lyrics themselves are also really neat, and have a nice comedic element too. The creepy backing vocals remind me of some early Connor Grail tracks ("Not You Again" from 2017 AIM, for example). The structure of this piece is so effective - it tells a story for sure, but the harmonic framework remains very internally consistent. The mixing and mastering is top-notch here, Spadez, and honestly I had no idea you were such a talented vocalist. You've totally got me in the mood for Halloween in June. Best of luck in AIM! ^_^

Spadezer responds:

Pulled a fast on on you guys with the vocals. I've wanted to use lyrics for quite a while but never found a good way to use them until this.

[Anima Sentia]

I like the crisp strings at the beginning and the buzzy atmospheric effects. The mastering quality is particularly impressive here, and the airy synths at :33 serve well to push the reset button before the orchestral elements come back in. The guitar solos at 1:06 also fit into the flow well. The minimalist beat in the background throughout most of the piece really helps tie things together, despite the large amount of variation in the texture. I like how you brought back the crisp strings for the end to make the piece come full-circle. The little swell of voices at the end also tells me there's more of the album to come. :) Energetic yet pensive, catchy yet atmospheric, you nailed it again, Syamori! Congrats on the new album. ^_^

Baumarius responds:

Thanks TL! I appreciate the review. This is one of my latest tracks, so it makes sense that much of what I've learned would shine through. I definitely had fun with this one - it reflects how I've been feeling lately.

This song and the album as a whole is a statement that I'm finally awakening musically and personally - as if I'm finally showing up. I think I've finally figured out mastering too! After picking apart my music with my new headphones, I've realized that there's so much misinformation out there about how to actually master your music...

The next track (On Crystal Wings) is up on my NG if you'd like to listen as well! I'm gonna save the rest for release day :D

[[AIM] I Am the Entire Circus]

I like how the texture is somehow both ambient and gritty. The chopped vocals mesh well with the spacey pads. The transition at 1:08 was a tad rough, although the bridge with the piano at 1:40 was a nice injection of tonality. Then, when the distorted synths come back at 2:06, the beat there helps them stay grounded a bit more. Really interesting piece. Overall, I like the experimental texture and mastering work. Cheers, LN! ^^

[~8,760 Hours]

The upbeat mood at the beginning is really nice. The E-piano at :12 adds a fun, jazzy flair to the piece, and also keeps some of the brighter-sounding synths grounded in a tranquil and languid mood. The melodies at :42 are neat rhythmically, if not quite as dynamic in pitch as I'm used to hearing from you. The scaled-back breakdown at 1:35 was a good segue into the section at 1:47 with the prominent percussion and additional injection of energy from the glitches and melody instruments. The solos at the end with the little rolled glitches (like at 2:49) are beautiful, and really add a sense of closure to a piece that was somehow both calming and chaotic. I like how the atmosphere gets richer as the volume decreases towards the end, too. Keep up the good work, LLAPPPSSEE! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

<3<3<3<3<3
best reviews.

[Sentience Bazaar]

I like the jazzy tone at the beginning. Like many of your pieces, it seems like the backing track for a moment of decision-making or personal reflection that's very character-driven. Not about which flavor of ice cream to choose, but whether a person's essence is embodied in ice cream or meat and potatoes. One is carefree and optimistic, and the other is more solid and real (though not particularly healthy either). Anyway, the flute-like melody instrument adds a great sense of buoyancy to the piece later on, and the dreamy atmosphere and solid mixing give it a sense of balance and blending. This is relaxing and pensive, but also catchy and engaging. The texture of the flutes - staccato-y and crisp, despite the reverb - is the thing that sticks with me the most. Keep at it, LLAAPPSSEE! ^_^

LLAAPPSSEE responds:

You are what you eat, eh? *laugh track*

This pesky existence stuff is always poking and prodding. I suppose it's nice we have this ability to influence our reality though. Sometimes it feels like your hard-stuck no matter what you do. Choice fatigue got me down.

The flute-like sound you're hearing is actually piano. ;)
It has a very sharp volume envelope cut on it that creates the staccato feeling + some heavy and quick-acting tremolo effect for that warbling + delay/reverb, If I recall correctly. Outside of the use here, it kinda has a 60/70's funky feel to it when you play it dry and harder. When played softly it has a pleasant lilting feeling. Was sorta an accident. :D